Talking with Eric Alexander

"We'll play some original music and probably some standards. It's going to
be the kind of gig where people can 'dig in,' really listen and
relate to the music."

Saxophonist Eric Alexander was on the phone from his New York home in advance
of his October appearance for the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz in
Harrisburg, PA. Alexander was to be accompanied by piano legend Harold
Mabern, and young trumpeter Jim Rotondi.

They were supported by drummer Tony Reddus and bassist John Webber. With its
sax and trumpet front line, the Alexander/Rotondi Quintet may remind some of
the classic Art Blakey quintet featuring the sax and trumpet of Wayne Shorter
and Freddie Hubbard.

Alexander's newest recording, "Man With A Horn" is on the Milestone
label and features trumpeter Rotondi on three tracks. Much in evidence on the
disc is Alexander's penchant for stirring up things both in the recording
studio and on the bandstand.

As the saxophonist puts it, "Every tune by its very nature forces you to
approach playing in a certain way. I like to choose tunes that will
give me a variety of approaches."

Alexander feels it important to include music from such composers as Johnny
Mandel, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, music commonly referred to as
standards. "I think the reason why standards are so important is because
they're really a barometer," said the saxophonist. "They allow the listener
to measure your performance against other players whom they admire."

When he was a student at New Jersey's William Patterson College
Alexander entered the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone
Competition at the suggestion of a faculty member. Alexander finished the
competition as runner-up to Joshua Redman.

More importantly, the competition gave Alexander a well-deserved infusion of
self-confidence. However, he modestly said, "I heard some of the things that
the other musicians were doing and realized there were things on which I
needed to work."

Coming as it did within days of the deaths of legends Milt Jackson and Art
Farmer, much of Alexander's conversation with me centered on his admiration
and respect for the music and it's creators. He said, "It's pretty scary
because when I started really get serious about jazz and being a professional
there were still enough guys with links to the real bebop era around so I
could have a perspective on the music."

"They were always like a balance for the music because you had
'fly by
night' young cats who got a got a lot of notoriety and then sort of
fizzled out. But then you had these fixtures on the scene who were so great,
nothing could diminish their reputations."

"They always played at such a high level and could set the record
straight as to what the real deal was. It's kind of scary that there
are fewer and fewer of those cats around. Nobody can really fill those shoes.
So when those guys are gone, that's it!"